Garage Part 2

We are moving house in mid December. After 10 years of marriage, 6 different rentals and 3 children we have finally bought a place of our own. We are so excited.

One problem? (well 4 if you count packing up, moving and unpacking)
No garage. Only a double carport! 
No garage = no storage = no dumping stuff into on moving day.

Solution? 

Long term = build a double lock up garage with storage cupboards

Short term = rental storage space somewhere offsite (that's Dean's job to organise)
                     = decluttering and purging (I've already started on that thanks to A Bowl Full of lemons Home Organisation 101)
                    
Lots of Crates

BEFORE

Total nightmare right? I cringe looking at it everyday.Things get taken out to the garage but not really organised. And I hate lifting heavy crates more than anything so it just gets left wherever my husband dumps it. 

I must have spent a total of 7 hours sorting this out last Thursday night. The time went fast. Purging the clothes and baby equipment meant that I freed up about 5 crates. I put them to good use believe me.

AFTER

Ah so much better! This is only Part 2 of the garage sorting, purging and organising. There is the other side and a couple of free-standing shelves to go.

We still have to move them and store them.

Linking up with...

Clothing Swap

At MOPS this week we had our annual children and maternity clothes swap. I have been hanging onto the 000-Size 1 clothes of my children. I have no idea why. Everything between Size 1-4 has been efficiently passed on to friends. So it was time to do some serious purging.

It is hard to get rid of outfits that your kids wore because you can still picture them wearing them and it although it was not long ago, because they grow so fast, it seems like an age ago. So I did pull out some of the clothes that I just can't bear to part with - yet.

These are the ones that went...

And because we are moving house, and I am purging the garage, I finally had the courage to pass on some items that we no longer use. I am pleased to say that the FP swing, awesome potty/step and Maclaren stroller went to three lovely mums. The baby hiking frame and portable baby seat went to two mentors who are grandmothers. And the box of Bob the Builder toys went to a playgroup. So nice when your things can find a new home.

The morning was attended by 42 mums (our biggest number ever!) and there were piles of clothes for each size and gender. The many leftovers are now making their way to a second indigenous playgroup of mums.

The same corner Before, twice During and then After the clothing purge.

It's nice to have another corner of the garage sorted out. What's left in the crates are clothes in larger sizes (size 4 and up now!) for my kids to grow into. I usually buy larger clothes at the end of the season sales and stockpile. So needless to say I went home from the clothes swap blissfully empty handed. Yay for me!